Lord's Day 29

78. Q. Are the bread and wine changed into the real body and blood of Christ? 

A. No. Just as the water of baptism is not changed into Christ's blood and does not itself wash away sins but is simply God's sign and assurance, so too the bread of the Lord's Supper is not changed into the actually body of Christ even though it is called the body of Christ in keeping with the nature and language of the sacraments.

79. Q. Why then does Christ call the bread His body and the cup His blood, or the new covenant in the blood? (Paul uses the words, a participation in Christ's body and blood.)

A. Christ has good reason for these words. He wants to teach us that as bread and wine nourish our temporal life, so too His crucified body and poured out blood truly nourish our souls for eternal life. But more important, He wants to assure us, by this visible sign and pledge, that we, through the Holy Spirit's work, share in His true body and blood as surely as our mouths receive these holy signs in His remembrance, and that all of His sufferings and obedience are as definitely ours as if we personally had suffered and paid for our sins.

"We proclaim the Lord's death until He comes (1 Cor. 11:26). We participate in the benefits of Christ's death. We gain spiritual nourishment (John 6:53-57). And we give a sign of our unity as believers (1 Cor. 10:17). In all of this the Lord's Supper acts as a family table where we can enjoy fellowship with each other and partake of the rich feast of blessings purchased for us at the cross of Christ."

The Good News We Almost Forgot, Kevin DeYoung, Moody Publishers, 2010, pp. 140, 142.